Magenta Mousehouse Julia cardigan

I've been trying to fill a huge gap in my wardrobe for summer cardigans but finding sewing patterns is quite difficult as there aren't many out there. Maybe when I get a few more under my belt I can make some for autumn/winter using more expensive fabrics containing wool. So that was the cunning plan!

I bought the Julia cardigan pattern from Mousehouse. It's the first digital pattern I've bought and I have to say printing and taping it together wasn't too bad an experience. Just read the instructions first, make sure your printer is set up correctly and measure the test square. Simple, really.

I chose a magenta coloured 100% viscose fabric and pre-washed it. It didn't half have a life of its own when I was cutting it out! It was really difficult making sure it sat correctly and that I was cutting a reasonably even edge. Having said that, because it's a jersey there's no seam finishing required. Hurray! So I just trimmed the seams to about 6mm and pressed them. The cardigan took last Sunday afternoon to cut out and sew together, so all in all, about 4 or 5 hours of sewing at my own pace.

 Here's an action shot of me wearing my new cardigan. I made the long sleeved double band version. It's quite a fabric-hungry pattern, I think I used about 2.5m of 150cm wide fabric. I didn't add any length to the body of the sleeves and ended up cutting off about 4cm from each sleeve before attaching the cuffs. Those are long sleeves, people! The shawl collar and edge are finished off with long bands of fabric, difficult to explain and much easier to understand when you're sewing it up. I used my sewing machine throughout and tested my zigzag stitch/tension on scraps until it was right.


I like the style of this cardigan, love the colour and the fact it has a collar. The shoulder seams sit just right on me and I really like the fit of it. It's quite long at the back, as you can see, remember that I didn't add any length to the body and I'm 5'9" tall. So that's something to think about if you're planning on making it...

So, all in all, a great pattern and I didn't need to make any lengthening adjustments. Hurray! I'll be making more of these in different colours in the future. I've already bought the Burdastyle Karen pattern so that's probably next on my cardigan-making list. Just need to buy some fabric...!